CURRENT Breeding females
We’ve hunted our dogs and guided wild birds hunts from the prairie to the rimrock of the western states, to the desert southwest as well as deep south Texas and of course at home - the thick grouse covers of the Lake states. They have successfully handled and pointed all but a couple of the nation’s upland game bird species in a dozen or more states across all types of weather and terrain. We do not believe there is a specific "type" of bird dog for each individual species of game bird or hunting situation. We completely disagree with the idea that you should “find a breeder that hunts the type of birds you hunt” - because we’ve hunted them all and seen our dogs adapt to any upland situation. Instead, we believe you should find a breeder that has proven their dogs across many species. We want our dogs to efficiently find and point game, no matter what the species or terrain. All our dogs are registered in the Field Dog Stud Book. We regularly test them in open competition sanctioned by the American Field/UKC. Our philosophy is this: the only way to fully test our breeding stock is by proving them at home on our elusive Ruffed Grouse and abundant prairie birds as well as testing them in what we believe are the most difficult conditions for a dog - south Texas. We also insist on evaluating them in public competition, preferably over multiple courses, on wild birds - all of our breeding females have placements in Open Shooting Dog stakes where the dogs must remain steady to wing and shot - this is something that I believe sets us apart from every other Setter breeder that I know of. Our breeding females have won field trials on Sharptailed Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock and even planted quail.
War Paint
Whelped 03/16/2015
“Blaze” comes from “grouse trial” parents, bred by Patrick Cooke in upstate New York, the last of twelve pups, the plain white one that nobody wanted. Her mother was Pat’s 5-time Champion River’s Edge Sadie. She is steeped in the old Grouse Ridge blood, some of my favorite stuff. She has a medium, short coupled frame and weighs in at about 40 pounds. She’s earned her call name and registered name - nearly all white (Blaze) with a few “war paint” markings. She is by far the best bird dog and home companion we have ever had. She was ranging out independently and staunchly pointing pre-released coveys of quail at 4 months of age and pointing Ruffed Grouse a few months later - it was at this point I realized I might have something.
You will see her completely “switch off” in our home, always quiet and calm. But in the field she is like no other dog we have owned. She’s pointed countless wild birds in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona and deep south Texas - adjusting her range to stay close in the grouse woods, yet filling up the big sky country out west. She is extremely fast and athletic and can run and hunt in warm temperatures, there is no place like south Texas to prove this - heat tolerance is a critical factor in our breeding program. Her animation on the ground and style on point will absolutely knock your eyes out. An above average intellect and strong nose make her an exceptional bird finding dog - she will dig up birds that other dogs miss. She also has a strong natural instinct to retrieve on land and water. Blaze has several placements in American Field trials and is qualified to run in most open and amateur Championships. She has also produced two field trial winners - the only two pups from her that have ever been run in trials. Her pups have proven to have many of her strong qualities. There are no pups available from Blaze.
Kasida
Whelped 09/03/2018
Z weighs in at about 38 pounds and is an exciting dog from Blaze’s first litter, sired by RU CH Erin’s Prometheus. We chose Prometheus as a sire to secure what we believe is some of the most important Setter blood - that of CH Ridge Creek Cody. Cody was the product of two Grouse Champions. We watched his dam - CH Houston’s Belle win in the woods and she was spectacular to put it mildly.
Z is a naturally talented wild bird dog, with an easy, efficient gait. In her first season at just one year of age she handled Sharptailed Grouse, Prairie Chicken, Ruffed Grouse, Woodcock, Bobwhite Quail and Scaled Quail. She possesses great speed and stamina and is a calm and composed companion in our home. She will adjust her range to whatever cover she is hunting, making large casts in open terrain and staying in closer contact in tight grouse covers. She also has what a lot of Setters lack - grit! This makes her the top dog on my south Texas guide string - performing in some of the most extreme conditions for a bird dog and she literally gets stronger as the 3+ month season progresses. I believe this is a rare quality as south Texas eventually breaks down most dogs. Her high level of intelligence makes her one of the easiest dogs I’ve ever worked with. She has several placements in open walking trials and we will be competing with her in a few Championship stakes going forward. Her first two litters are on the ground and look to be very promising pups as she has already produced her first field trial winner! Kasida is the 2023 John Hadaway Coverdog Classic Winner - 45 starters!
Champion - Little Hawk
Whelped 01/01/2021
Little Hawk is the 2024 NBHA Open Sharptail Champion at just 3 years of age. She bested a field of 42 competitors, many of them Champions already, in grueling hot conditions at the Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area, pointing Sharptail twice under judgement and once after time was called, her last bird rode up by her scout.
I’ve often hoped for a copy of Blaze with a bit more length and angulation in the legs and a bit longer coupled - I believe Little is as close to that goal as we’ll come. Her lengthy frame and well muscled physique give her speed, running power and incredible durability. We used her to guide Scaled and Gambels Quail hunts in Arizona and she offered clients a number of good wing-shooting opportunities on both coveys and singles as a yearling! Proving her durability, I hunted her hard on the malpais (very sharp bedrock lava formation) with no boots and she handled it without blowing a single pad. Just like her dam Blaze, she has shown an uncanny ability to find and point wild birds and has great natural character around game at a very young age. Being able to use her on guided wild bird hunts is exceptional for a puppy of just one year old. And this is exactly the type of field bred Setter we strive to produce in our breeding program - she handles very easily, requires little training and naturally hunts for the gun and finds birds. As a two year old, she is one of the best dogs in my south Texas guide string and fully broke to wing, shot and fall.
In addition to her strong bird dog qualities, Little is one of the finest looking Setters we’ve ever laid eyes on. She’s an absolute picture on point, inheriting the incredible style of her All-Age champion sire, CH Erin’s Hidden Shamrock - a full littermate brother to RU CH Erin’s Prometheus. Little is extremely calm, quiet and composed around the house and kennel. At the end of the ‘23 field trial season, Little Hawk won 2023 Wisconsin/Minnesota Open Derby of the Year! In September ‘24 she won the NBHA Sharptail Championship.